


The weight he carries

by Stiinescense



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Abuse, Aftermath of Violence, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Bad Parent FP Jones II, Bullying, Child Abuse, Gen, Good Parent Fred Andrews, Graphic Description, Hurt Jughead Jones, Hurt/Comfort, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Jughead Jones-centric, Oblivious Archie Andrews, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Archie Andrews, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-07-24 20:01:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16182173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stiinescense/pseuds/Stiinescense
Summary: FP had been on the edge for weeks now, after losing his job. He kept coming home drunk, probably straight from the Wyrm, almost daily. Yeah, Jughead had seen his father drunk, more often than he cared to admit. But lately, it had been more of the aggressive type than the silly type. They had had some incident already, but Jughead didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, since he thought it was more of like a phase.Jughead didn’t know what else to do but to avoid him. It’s mostly just the evenings, when he has the highest risk of running into FP, between him coming home and passing out on the couch. He spent more time at Pop’s, working on his stories and observing the social life of Riverdale, from the outsider’s viewpoint. Yeah, that's the only viewpoint he has left, ever since Archie pretty much abandoned him.(Set on the summer before Jason's death.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first fanfic, I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Trigger warning for violence and abuse.

FP had been on the edge for weeks now, after losing his job. He kept coming home drunk, probably straight from the Wyrm, almost daily. Yeah, Jughead had seen his father drunk, more often than he cared to admit. But lately, it had been more of the aggressive type than the silly type. They had had some incident already, but Jughead didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, since he thought it was more of like a phase. And he doesn’t want to dwell on it anyway, it could be so much worse. 

Jughead didn’t know what else to do but to avoid him. It’s mostly just the evenings, when he has the highest risk of running into FP, between him coming home and passing out on the couch. He spent more time at Pop’s, working on his stories and observing the social life of Riverdale, from the outsider’s viewpoint. Watching Betty pine over Archie, and Archie being his usual, oblivious self.

Yeah, he was bitter. Angry, even. He and Archie had been drifting away from each other for a long time. Jughead likes to think that it’s normal at this age, to look for other things in life, to leap away from the usual. But when he tries to fall asleep at the trailer, while his father is throwing their belongings to the walls in a drunken rage, he thinks there might be some other reasons too. Yeah, he was raised in the wrong side of the tracks. When they were kids, none of this really made any difference to them, because it was all about getting along at that point. But things have changed. Maybe Archie finally understood what life had in store for Jughead. It’s not college, for sure. It’s more like a minimum wage job in this dirty old town that he will probably never escape. Getting tangled into the mess his father has made, getting involved into some gang stuff. A few arrests, just enough to never have any credibility again. Taking up the habit of many men in his family before: drinking. Probably some drugs, too. Losing the shitty job, living in a fucking trailer. He will become a prime example of the hereditary nature of social issues. 

Yeah, it’s more like a joke to him, but that’s what everyone thinks. He has a burning desire to prove them wrong, but what for? Even if he didn’t drink himself to death, it’s still going to be a lot of work just to reach something decent. Sometimes, it’s too easy to believe the story that has been written for him. He would never admit this, but it’s comforting to know he has a permission to fuck up. To just slide down to the bottom, just like he is supposed to. Just like his father did, and his father before him. Let the plot unfold in all its dullness.

In other words, under all this anger, he misses Archie. And at the same time, he is deadly afraid that Archie doesn’t miss him too.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a thought process Jughead goes through while laying on the floor of their trailer at exactly 1.26am on a Tuesday night. He was crying. He was crying and he doesn’t even know if it’s because of the beating or his longing for Archie. He doesn’t know which one would be worse. There is a ringing to his ears that is irritating, but also frightening. He’s half leaning to the wall of their living room, in an awkward position but too tired to actually move himself. FP already left, probably went back to the Wyrm. Like he would have somewhere else to be… 

He had to get his head straight. He needs to clean up and assess the damage. He hasn’t been in this much pain for a while, and it’s scaring him. FP went pretty hard on him today. Jughead got home at midnight, like he usually does. If FP finds his way home, he is always passed out at that point. But not today. Jughead opened the door carefully, and he immediately cursed himself for trusting his assumptions. FP was in the kitchen, a whiskey bottle in hand, wasted. 

Jughead said a quick “hi” to his old man and tried to sneak into his room before anything could happen. But before he got past FP, he rose to his feet. “Where the hell have you been?”, he asked Jughead. Jug tried to think of something neutral to say. “I was at Pop’s”, he answered, backing against the kitchen counter. “Yeah? Don’t think I’m stupid, Jughead. I know you are up to something. Trailer park not good enough for you anymore? Haven’t seen you around for weeks!”, FP shouts drunkenly at Jughead. He could shout about anything, really. It’s not about the argument at this point. Jughead know already what he’s in for. Doesn’t really matter what he says. “Yeah, wonder why?”, Jug snarks. Uh uh, so that’s it. Jug has no self-control whatsoever. “Don’t you try to disrespect me, boy!”, FP yells as he rises from the kitchen chair and approaches Jughead. Jughead tries to keep his stance, play brave. It’s going to happen and be over with. He doesn’t want to make it any messier than it has to be. FP is now right in front of his face, smelling of booze and cigarettes. “You never fucking learn, do you? Always bitchin’, always whining. Can’t even stand up for yourself!”, FP shouts in a mocking tone and gives Jug a shove to his shoulders, pushing him against the counter. Forget about not making a mess, fuck that. Jughead loses his cool instantly. FP, the one person that abuses him, mocking his ability to stand up for himself? Jughead feels rage inside him as he immediately pushes FP back, as far as he can, telling him to “fuck off”. FP looks surprised for a second, and then a grin spreads across his face. He punches Jughead in the face, followed by another to the abdomen. He then grabs Jughead by his neck and arm and all but throws him to the floor. “Oh, so now you want to try defending yourself? How about learning your place first? It’s not like you had a chance anyway”, FP mocks. Jughead is coughing on the ground when FP starts kicking him to his stomach and arms that Jug is trying to use for protection. Just as he is raising his left arm to cover his face, FP steps on it. Jughead lefts out a shout. “This is getting out of hand and fast”, he thinks. 

Apparently, there is not enough room for a beating in the kitchen, so FP grabs Jughead from his hair and drags him into the living room. He releases his hair, throwing him at the low table at the centre of the room. Jughead’s side hits the table corner before he bounces to the ground. There is a loud crack from his ribs. That. Hurt. Jughead is trying to take it like a man, but he can’t help himself from the whines that escape his lips after falling over the table. “Get your act together, Jug! Little bitch”, his father is slurring while throwing kicks here and there at his son. Suddenly, he falls partly on top of Jughead and grabs his collar in his other hand, while using the other to beat down his face. Jughead tries to move his hands to cover his face, but they are under FP’s knees. He is completely unprotected from the fists that he sees raining down his face. He is freaking out. He can already taste blood in his mouth. 

After what feels like forever, FP seems to be done with it. With a final kick to Jug’s back he walks to the door, mumbling something about needing a drink. 

And now he’s here. Fuck! He really needs to focus. He has a feeling he has some broken bones. He really can’t deal with this by just hiding the wounds until they heal this time. He needs help. 

Jug gathers his strength and uses his right hand to push himself up, leaning against the wall. What could he do? Dad is probably not coming back for a while, so at least he’s not in a hurry to leave the trailer. He’s hurt, and he really needs some kind of medical attention. Even a first aid kit would do right now. He reaches to his pocket to get his phone out. An ambulance is out of the question; he really doesn’t have the money to pay for visiting the hospital. Also, he doesn’t think it’s that serious. He’s probably just freaking out like the whiny bitch that he is because he got a proper beating for once. Yeah, that’s probably what’s happening. But he also can’t stand up for real. 

His finger hovers over Archie’s name on his phone. Would it be so bad to call? To ask for help for the first time? Yeah, they have drifted apart, but Archie is still the closest thing to a friend he has. It’s two am anyway, he probably wouldn’t even be awake. Also, it’s not like he has a lot of other options right now if he wants help. 

It’s a spontaneous decision. And he immediately regrets it. But he presses “call”.

It’s ringing. Jughead’s heart is beating like crazy, he’s going mad about the waiting. “He’s not going to pick up. No, he’s asleep. He doesn’t even care. Why would he pick up? He probably hates me”.

“Jughead?”, comes Archie’s confused voice from the phone. Jug freezes. What is he supposed to say now? Fuck. He’s so stupid for doing this.  
“Jug? Are you there?”, Archie goes on, sounding groggy.  
“Yeah, I’m here”, Jug says, voice quiet and raspy.  
“What’s up? Are you okay?”, Archie asks sounding a bit worried already.  
“Uhh… No, I mean, yes I am, but… It’s more like…”, Jug can’t get himself to get to the point. It’s harder than he thought.  
“Jug? Did something happen? Just tell me”, Archie insists.  
“Um. Yeah, something happened. I know we are not so close anymore, but… it’s pretty bad. I wouldn’t ask otherwise. And I get it if you don’t want to help me, becau…”, Jug gets cut off.  
“Jug, what the hell happened? And don’t say that, of course I’ll help you. So where are you? I’m out of bed already, I’m coming over”, Archie says in a demanding voice.  
“I’m at the trailer. FP’s out. Just come here, we’ll figure it out”, Jug says, feeling relieved already.  
“Okay, I’ll be there in ten”, Archie says hurriedly.  
“And Arch…”, Jug says shyly.  
“Yea?”, Archie prompts.  
“Just… Don’t freak out, okay? It looks bad but it’s going to be fine”, Jughead says, trying to calm himself too. Archie is more alarmed than anything about this statement and tries to get to the trailer even faster.


	2. Chapter 2

When the door creaks open, Jug can feel his heartbeat get faster from anxiety. He calms down when Archie walks to the living room, getting a confirmation that it’s actually him and not FP coming back. Archie scans the room and then his eyes hit Jughead’s slumped form on the floor. There is a panic on his face as he hurries over to Jug.

“Oh my god, what happened?! Jug, oh my god, we need to call 911, this is really bad”, Archie’s words all blur together. All he can see is Jughead’s bruised and bloody face, and the way he holds his body. It’s clear he can’t get up by himself. He’s also holding his left arm close to his torso, protectively.  
“Archie, hey, it’s okay. Not hospitals. I just need a little bit of help. I’m okay, I’m not dying of anything. Just calm down ok, you’re not any help if you’re freaking out”, Jughead soothes Archie whose hands hover over Jughead broken form, not touching anything out of fear of hurting Jug even more.  
“Yeah, you are right. I’ll calm down. I’m calm, okay”, Archie rambles.  
“You never said how this happened. Who did this?”, confusion is prominent on Archie’s face. Jughead just turns his head another way. He wants to tell him. He’s so close to revealing everything. But he just. Can’t.  
“Jug? Tell me who did this”, Archie insists. Jug keeps his silence. Something like realization dawns on Archie’s face.  
“Was it your dad?”, he asks, a frown on his face. Jug just silently turns to look at him in the face and has this sad and kind of tired look on his face. It’s true. Archie wants to insist on a verbal answer, just to get a different one. He doesn’t want to believe this, but he does, and it’s not even hard.  
“I’m so sorry”, Archie says, now realizing how bad of a friend he has been.  
“Don’t be. It’s all on him. Can we just get this over with and think about it later?”, Jughead asks eagerly. He seems uneasy, probably in a lot of pain. It’s hard to see usually so cool and collected Jughead like this. Vulnerable.  
“Yes, of course. Where are you hurt? Do you have a first aid kit here? Do you want to get out of the ground?”, Archie asks, getting to work immediately.  
“Everywhere, pretty much. First aid kit is in the bathroom, under the sink. And yes please”, Jughead answers. Archie puts his arm under Jughead’s right arm and starts lifting him carefully. Jughead lets out a wince while they walk over to the couch, still holding his left arm around his abdomen. Archie carefully lowers him to sit on the couch. He then leaves to get the first aid kit from the bathroom.

“Is it okay if I start on your face?”, Archie asks while walking back to the couch.  
“Yeah, go for it”, Jughead answers tiredly. Archie takes out some supplies for cleaning wounds and starts cleaning a cut on Jugheads lip. When he’s done he moves to clean a cut on Jug’s eyebrow, and then the blood that came from his nose.  
“I think your face is now as good as it gets. I doubt that you will need stiches here. So what’s next? What’s wrong with your arm?”, Archie asks Jughead, who’s getting tired from the pain killers Archie gave him.  
“Uh, yeah. I don’t know, it might be broken”, Jughead answers.  
“Okay, let’s have a look. Can you take your jacket off?”, Archie asks, and immediately starts helping Jug get the jacket off. It’s hard, and Jug is close to tears when it’s done. Archie takes Jughead’s arm to his hand and inspects it.  
“I don’t think it’s actually broken. But the bruise is getting bad. Do you have any ice here?”, Archie asks, turning Jug’s arm carefully in his hold.  
“Yeah, figured. I didn’t hear a crack or anything. And no, I don’t think so”, Jug replies, relieved.  
“Crap. Okay, it will heal anyway. Where else are you hurt?”, Archie asks, scanning Jughead’s tense body.  
“My stomach. And ribs. I definitely broke one, but I don’t think these is much to be done to them, you know?”, Jughead explains.  
“Yeah, they should heal on their own. I should still take a look, if that’s fine to you”, Archie says nervously.  
“Yeah, sure. Help me get my shirt off”, Jughead replies, rising slowly and carefully to his feet. They undress his shirt inch by inch. Archie holds in a gasp as he sees the bruises on Jughead’s abdomen.  
“It’s bad, huh”, Jug says and inspects his abdomen.  
“How’s the back?”, Jug asks and turns around in front of Archie. There is a huge, purple mark left by the corner of the coffee table. It’s not the only thing that Archie is worried about. Jughead had always been a bit lanky. He got tall fast during his puberty, and after that his weight just never balanced back. But now, looking at Jughead’s skinny back and seeing all the ribs and his spine, he almost looks sick. He must have lost at least 15 pounds since last winter.  
“Archie? What’s wrong?”, Jughead asks cautiously.  
“Jug… Yeah, the bruise looks like you fell on something. It’s pretty dark. But… You are so skinny…”, Archie trails off. He doesn’t want to offend Jughead, definitely not now. But he has a feeling that Jughead might give him some answers today. He already has.  
“Yeah, so? It’s not what you might think. I’m fine”, Jughead answers defensively, turning to face Archie.  
“Then what is it?”, Archie asks, challenging Jughead. Jug sighs and starts putting his shirt back on.  
“Dad fell of the wagon after getting fired. There is no money. At all. I just haven’t had anything to eat, all right? It’s fucking embarrassing. It's not like a wanted to be this skinny”, Jug says, a mix of angry and sad in his voice. It all starts to make sense for Archie. The situation, FP getting drunk and angry. Jughead spending all his time at Pop’s, sometimes getting freebies.  
“Fuck, I’m sorry. I literally had no idea. And that’s bad too, isn’t it… I’m sorry, Jug”, Archie mumbles, feeling so, so guilty.  
“It’s okay. It’s not like I was trying to tell you, either”, Jughead replies, looking at his feet, standing awkwardly now wearing a shirt. 

“So… What now? Where’s FP? Is he coming home today?”, Archie asks cautiously.  
“He left. I don’t think he’s coming back soon, maybe in the morning. I might just go to sleep, then run off in the morning while he’s passed out”, Jughead says with a bitter tone. He really doesn’t want to sleep here. He’d do anything to go home with Archie. But since he hasn’t brought it up, Jug won’t risk it. Yeah, he came here to help Jug, but it doesn’t mean that everything’s back to normal.  
“Don’t you want to come stay the night with me? I don’t think it’s safe here, to be honest”, Archie says, a worried look on his face. Jughead can’t believe he just said that. Maybe he’s just trying to be nice, because Jug is so miserable right now? And maybe it wouldn’t even matter, since he really needs to get the fuck away from here.  
“Would that be okay? What about Fred?”, Jug asks nervously.  
“You know him, it’s going to be fine. Would be better to avoid him though, just in case. You look pretty bad right now. It’s too obvious”, Archie says carefully.  
“Yeah, I get it. I’m just going to grab some stuff from my room and we can go”, Jughead says, starting to walk towards his bedroom. He takes his backpack and starts stuffing it with clothes and other things to last him at least a week. Yeah, he’s not going to stay with Archie for that long. But he can’t come back home either. 

After a quick packing, he carefully lifts the backpack to his shoulder, walking to the toilet. He clicks the light on and turns to face the mirror. His face is a mess. The cuts are not bleeding anymore, but the left side of his face is turning a deep shade of purple. It’s going to take a long time for it to heal. His hair is a mess, and only now he realizes that he’s missing his hat. He sorts his hair a bit and returns to the living room. Archie is waiting for him there, his hat in hand.  
“Thanks. Let’s go”, Jughead says, taking the hat from Archie’s hands and placing it carefully on his head. Jughead leads the way out of the trailer, to the car parked in front of it. They enter the car and drive off, in a complete silence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos!  
> I have big plans for this story and I'll update soon.

Archie parks the car to the drive way of his house and turns to look at Jughead. Jughead is looking out of the car window, his expression a mix between sadness and uncertainty. They sit there for a while, both scared about what’s going to happen next. 

Jughead’s head is spinning about the events of the night. First his father completely betraying his trust and going a step too far. Then how easily he gave up and told Archie about his father. At the time it felt like the right thing to do, like something he should have done a long time ago. He just needed support, and this was the first time he was ready to admit that to himself. For so long he just wanted to fight trough it, keeping his pride. He thought of himself as someone who can stand a lot, even when he was completely alone. He got through his mother leaving, his sister leaving. Getting left behind by his own family. He got through bullying. He never told anyone, never cried. Not even the time when the whole football team (except Archie) rounded him as he was walking home, called him “trailer trash”, beat him up and threw him in a ditch. When he finally got home his father yelled at him for staying out too late. Archie never found out.

So yeah, he takes pride in pulling through all that shit, and coping with all of it by himself. And yeah, he also knows that it might not be the healthiest thing to do. But what options does he have? It’s not like he got a lot of friends to help him. And what would happen if he told an adult, if he told someone at the school? He already spent one year at the juvie, and that was the worst year of his life. He doesn’t want to end up in the system for good. Everyone knows what happens to those kids. First, it’s foster families and group homes, next it’s prison. And who knows where the foster care would place him. He’s too old to get into a family. He also has a record. Yeah, he’d rather take a beating now and then from his own father than risk getting placed in a group home.

So, keeping the recent events a secret was a top priority, and he hopes that he doesn’t need to explain the reasoning to Archie. Usually Archie gets it, though. Sometimes, when things have gotten bad with dad, Jughead would spend a lot of time at their house, and Archie would never question it. Jughead knows that Archie had known, but never said anything. He only made sure that Jughead wasn’t hurt and helped him hide some bruises. But he never demanded that Jughead had to get help or tell someone. And that’s why Jughead knows he can trust him. 

“Should we go inside?”, Archie asks cautiously, pulling Jughead back from his thoughts.  
“Yeah, sure”, Jughead replies, getting out of the car, careful not to hurt himself further. Archie lifts Jughead’s bag from the backseat and starts heading towards the house. They enter together and head straight upstairs to Archie’s room. Jughead goes to the closet to get the blow-up mattress he has always used. Archie drops Jughead’s bag to the floor next to his bed.  
“Hey, Jug… What do you want to do about… all this?”, Archie asks tentatively. He’s sitting on his bed, fiddling with his fingers.  
“What do you mean?”, Jughead asks, even though he knows full well what Archie means. He just wants to go with the old pattern; getting hurt, coming to Archie’s to lick his wounds and then go back to normal. But somehow, that doesn’t seem to be an option anymore.  
“I mean, with your dad. You getting hurt like this… It’s not like it used to be, you see that, right? This is way worse. And I get it if you don’t want to see it like that. And I also know how you fear the foster system. But please, can’t you see that you are in danger?”, Archie rambles, sounding desperate. Jughead stays silent for a while, sitting on the mattress and looking down to the floor. Then he finally speaks.  
“What do you expect me to do? There is literally no way of telling someone about this without me getting in trouble”, Jughead says, sounding angry. Not at Archie, but at the stupid system.  
“What if we just talked to my dad? Maybe he could help you. We could figure something out”, Archie replies a hopeful tone in his voice.  
“I don’t know, Archie. He’s kind of obligated to tell someone about this. But, I guess he already knew and still hasn’t told anyone”, Jughead says, a thoughtful look in his face. Fred must have an idea about what Jughead’s family life is like, and he’s always helped out in a way that doesn’t involve calling CPS. He let Jughead stay over, he gave him some money sometimes. Maybe he knew what would happen to a kid like Jughead is he ended up in the system.  
“Yeah, I promise he knows how to handle his stuff. You have to learn to trust people at some point, Jug”, Archie demands. He looks Jughead in the eyes. Jughead gives him a small smile and turns his head away.  
“Yeah, I know”, Jughead whispers.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jughead wakes up groaning, his body sore all over. He glances at Archie, who is still in deep sleep. Jughead gets up quietly and heads to the shower. Being under the hot water makes him feel calm. All his muscles relax. The bruises that he can see without a mirror are more prominent that the day before. Some of the cuts on his face sting nastily under the water. But it’s fine. They will heal. He just must figure out how to hide them for so long.

He steps out of the shower, grapping a towel and wrapping it around himself. He looks into the mirror. The dark bruises have covered the left side of his face almost completely. The cuts don’t look too bad, though. He almost wishes that his father could see him now, make him feel even a little bit of remorse.

Jughead hears some noises from the hallway and thinks it’s Archie who’s looking for him. He opens the door of the bathroom and is suddenly under the stares of Archie and a surprised Fred.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jughead’s heartbeat fastens immediately. Yeah, he has run to Archie a few times after some incidents with his father, but the evidence has never been this obvious. He wanted to talk to Fred, but right now he wasn’t prepared at all. He has no idea what the two had been talking about, and he doesn’t even know if he should lie or not.

“Jug? What happened to you?”, Fred asks, sounding alarmed. Jughead realizes how exposed he is right now.  
“I, uhh… I, just…”, Jughead panics, looking at Archie for help.  
“Jughead, go get dressed. I’ll talk to dad in the meantime”, Archie says with a calm tone. Maybe he knows what he’s doing. Hopefully. Jughead heads to Archie’s room, walking awkwardly past Fred. He tries to turn his body so that he’s not showing him all his bruises. When he enters the room, he immediately turns around and locks it. He leans his head against the door and breathes deeply.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soooooo sorry it took me this long to update. I'm the worst procrastinator and I always thought it's just with the school stuff, but apparently not. So thank you for being patient with me. Also thank you for all the comments and kudos, they really make my day :)
> 
> \---
> 
> I also wanted to say a few words about this fic. In the series, I feel like Jughead is portrayed as a rebel, always causing commotion and doing everything that he's told not to do. But when I went back and watched season 1 again, I saw that originally, they were showing him as more like a lone wolf and an introvert. In season 1, he's not interested in FP's business, and he's ashamed that FP's a serpent. He spent his time alone at Pop's, writing. I feel like after season 1 we lost an important part of Jughead's personality, and I want to make up for it in this fic.

Jughead intentionally dresses up as slowly as he can, trying to cover up the bruising of his body. It’s hard, since a significant amount of it is on his face. He dries his hair and goes trough is with a comb. He tries to shut down all the panicking thoughts running trough his mind, telling him to go, to escape the situation that he’s about to enter. But he has been running away for too long. He has been hiding too much. Just like Archie said, he needs to start trusting people around him. His problems won’t just disappear if he looks the other way. This is his chance to get help, from the one person that could actually help him, instead of just getting him shipped away.

He takes one last deep breath and exits the room into the hallway. He walks the steps down all too aware of the sound he makes, and the shift of conversation he hears from the kitchen. He walks up to the kitchen table and sits down, shifting his gaze nervously to Archie, then to Fred, and finally settling it to his own lap. He just can’t stand to look at Fred. His face… It’s so full of pity, and concern. But all that is concealed under a mask that is welcoming and warm. Jughead knows that Fred is probably trying to play it cool, since he knows how Jug feels about people pitying him. But it’s not so easy to hide, especially since he’s clearly trying to assess Jughead’s injuries. Jughead shifts nervously in his seat, feeling Fred’s wandering gaze.

“So, Jughead. Archie told me… Uhm… Told me what happened. Please, just relax. We’re not going to do anything that you don’t approve, okay?”, Fred starts, giving Jughead an assuring look when he glances up from his lap.  
“Okay”, Jughead replies quietly.  
“I just need to know some things that Archie couldn’t tell me”, Fred says, almost apologetically. Jughead’s shoulders tense as he thinks about all the things that could come up, all the things he has been hiding from Archie, and suddenly feels guilty.  
“Yeah, sure”, Jughead answers, trying to appear nonchalant. Now he’s playing with his fingers, trying to distract himself.  
“Archie said that FP hurt you. Does this happen a lot? And when did it start?”, Fred asks. Jughead closes his eyes briefly before speaking up.  
“He… He got fired. Last winter. Ever since then… He’s been worse. I mean, he wasn’t exactly father of the year before that, but at least we got along somehow”, Jughead says, letting his voice fade towards the end of the sentence as the dry humour didn’t get a reaction. He’s embarrassed, but at this point, he just has to let his pride go.  
“But I mean, it’s not like this all the time. He’s just drunk, and sometimes I provoke him. This is the farthest he has gone”, Jughead says, feeling ashamed.  
“You do realize that it’s not your fault, do you?”, Archie asks, as he looks at Jughead with an expression that he’ll never forget.  
“Yeah, I guess…”, Jughead whispers, avoiding eye contact.  
“Do you think it would help if I talked to him? Maybe I could convince him to get some help”, Fred suggests.  
“No. It’s a lost cause, Mr. Andrews. And also, I don’t think it’s… safe”, Jughead replies, trying to get a message across. Fred has known FP for so long that he must know about the serpents. FP has been part of all that for his whole like. Archie in the other hand has no idea, and Jughead intends to keep it that way.  
“I understand”, Fred says, and Jughead really hopes he does.  
“So then, what do you want to do? I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay with your dad. If you want, you can stay with us. For as long as you want to, don’t worry about it”, Fred states, a comforting look in his eyes. Jughead is ready to cry. It’s amazing and he’s grateful. But at the same time, he feels like he really doesn’t deserve any of this. Like he’s out of place here, just extra baggage. But he’s not going to voice these thoughts, because he knows they wouldn’t understand.  
“That would be great, thank you Mr. Andrews”, Jughead says shyly, looking Fred in the eyes, giving him a small smile. Fred smiles back and seems relieved.  
“Awesome! We’re going to be roommates”, Archie says excitedly, the widest grin on his face.  
“If there’s anything else you need, just tell me, Jug. I’ll be happy to help, you remember that, okay? And I’ll be here, if you need someone to talk to, or anything else”, Fred speaks reassuringly. Jughead just keeps nodding, but doubts that they’ll ever be having a heartfelt conversation about Jughead’s fucked up family life.  
“See, Jug? It’s all going to be okay”, Archie says reassuringly. Then Archie gets up from the table and moves to the kitchen counter to prepare breakfast. Apparently, it’s a cue for Fred.

“Do you need anything from the trailer? Or did you pack something with you already?”, Fred asks, now intently trying to hold eye contact with Jughead.  
“Uh, I already have the most critical stuff. And I can always borrow from Archie”, Jughead states, starting to feel really awkward in the situation now that Archie is gone.  
“Okay, good, good… I know that this isn’t the ultimate solution to your problem, but I’m also not going to make you feel like you have to hurry anywhere else, okay? I just want you to be safe. And that’s the most important thing right now. So just relax and take some time to yourself and we can figure out the rest later. That fine to you?”, Fred asks, cautiously choosing the words not to upset Jughead.  
“Yeah, I know. It’s fine. Thank you”, Jughead replies calmly. It could be worse.

“And one more thing… You look pretty battered right now. Would you mind if I checked on your woun-“  
“No!”, Jughead lets out before Fred can finish and before he can even stop himself. He covers into himself, terrified about his own reaction and the idea of Fred seeing what FP had done. His hands are shaking. Last night he was vulnerable, and Archie is safe to him. But now he’s back to his normal self and doesn’t want anyone to ever again see the marks that tell tales about his weakness.  
Jughead gets clumsily up from his chair and sees the hurt and confused look on Fred’s face. He can’t deal with that right now. He just wants out, out of this situation. He heads to the stairs when he hears Fred getting up and following him. There is also a confused Archie asking something, but he’s too worked up to pay attention. He’s just about to reach the stairs as someone grabs his bruised arm and tries to stop him from going any further. He yelps out in pain. Not seeing who it was triggers Jughead’s instincts to fight or flight. He rips his arm back, even if it hurts like hell, and starts running up the stairs. He knows he’s irrational, but he can’t stop himself.  
“Jughead, wait!”, he hears Fred’s frustrated yell from the staircase. He has reached the second floor and is now trying to get into Archie’s room, but it’s locked. At that moment it feels like his heart stops. 

_Jughead is finishing up his homework in the living room when FP enters the trailer, drunk out of his mind. At first, he doesn’t notice Jug and heads straight to the kitchen. FP opens the fridge and takes a bottle of beer. He’s just about to sit down at the table when he sees Jughead staring at him._  
_“The fuck you looking at, huh?”, FP asks, annoyed._  
_“Can’t catch a fucking brake here, do I? Don’t you have some friends to go to?”, FP continues as Jughead is paralyzed on the sofa, trying to figure a way out of this._  
_“Answer me you little shit!”, FP demands as he takes a step towards Jughead and throws the bottle at him. It hits the wall above Jughead, who yelps “what the fu-” and covers his head with his arms. FP takes a few more steps towards Jughead, who finally gets over the shock and rises to his feet, stepping farther away from FP._  
_“You’re not getting anywhere, boy!”, FP declares as he approaches Jughead. Jug keeps stepping away from him, and they go around the coffee table in a circle. Finally, Jughead gets to the kitchen’s side. He turns around and runs for it. FP is hot in his trail. FP sees that Jughead is aiming for the door and beats him to it, blocking the way out. Jughead must make up his mind fast, so instead he runs for his own room. He’s not going to stop now, because he already made it a hundred times worse. He reaches the door of his room and grabs the handle. Nothing happens. He jerks the handle repeatedly, but it doesn’t open. Tears are forming in his eyes as his defeat dawns on him. His father appears behind him. Jughead turns slowly to face him, hands already trembling._  
_“You think you can pull that trick on me?”, FP asks as he throws the first punch._

_____ _

Jughead’s breath has become abrupt wheezes in a matter of seconds as he relives the memory. He keeps trying to open the door, desperately clawing at it. He hears someone gaining on him, coming his way and he needs to get away. It’s the only way out. 

Fred sees the panicking state Jughead is in and approaches him carefully. He doesn’t want to scare him even more. Jughead is leaning his head against the door, taking ragged breaths and crying. It’s clear that all this wasn’t caused by Fred’s question, there’s something else going on with Jughead. Fred places a hand on Jughead’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.  
“Don’t fucking touch me!”, Jughead screams and jerks away from Fred, falling to the ground in the process.  
“Aaaghh…”, Jughead groans after the fall, having hurt his already bruised back. He rolls to his side, wrapping his hands around his torso. Fred is just stunned about everything that had happened in the past 10 seconds. He just now realizes that he really doesn’t know how to handle this kind of situations.  
“Jughead?!”, Archie’s concerned voice comes from the staircase as he arrives to see what caused all the commotion. He pushes past Fred and sees the shaking form of Jughead on the floor, still making sounds of discomfort. He gets down to the floor but leaves Jughead some space.  
“Jug, hey, it’s okay. This is Archie, I’m here with you. You’re safe”, Archie starts soothing Jughead. He looks back at Fred and makes a motion to tell him to leave. Jughead used to have a lot of panic attacks after he got back from the juvie, so Archie had to learn how to bring him back from them. Fred sees that Archie knows what he’s doing, so he quietly goes down the stairs and leaves the two alone. 

“Hey Jug, just breathe. Take deep breaths. It’s okay, no one will hurt you here”, Archie goes on. It’s been a while already. Jughead has gone from panicking to just silently crying on the floor.  
“Can I come closer?”, Archie asks carefully. There’s no answer.  
“Okay, I’ll just come a little bit closer”, Archie states as he carefully shifts closer to Jughead. Jughead opens his eyes that have gone red and puffy from the crying.  
“I’m sorry”, Jughead whispers, avoiding Archie’s eyes.  
“What? No, don’t say that. It’s fine. C’mon Jughead, there’s nothing to be sorry about”, Archie assures. Jughead carefully pushes himself up to a sitting position and wipes his eyes to his sleeve.  
“What happened there?”, Archie asks. Jughead stares at the floor.  
“I just… panicked. Got afraid”, Jughead admits. It’s half a truth.  
“Are you ok now?”, Archie asks.  
“Yeah, I’m fine”, Jughead replies. It’s something he has lied about so many times in the past, with those exact words. But right now, he doesn’t know if it’s a lie or not. A lot of things are fucked up in his life, he can’t even go home. He hurts all over and apparently, now he has PTSD. 

But.

He has this place that’s like a home to him, where he can stay and be safe. He has Fred, who’s more of a father to him than FP has ever been. And then he has Archie, sitting on the hallway floor with him for god knows how long, just to make sure he’s ok. 

“C’mon Jug, let’s go eat the breakfast I made”, Archie suggests as he helps Jughead get to his feet. Yeah, maybe this time he really is fine. Or at least going to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just FYI, I have planned at least 5 more chapters. It's also going to get a bit more fast-paced from here on.


End file.
